ATLANTA MAGAZINE — After three years of talk, development, and construction, Dunwoody’s first food hall, the Hall at Ashford Lane, opened in late May. Then, just over a month later, the Hall abruptly closed in a bizarre story that involved several employees accusing the owner of failing to pay owed wages, among other accusations. Will Donaldson, CEO of food hall operator Politan Row had been following the Hall’s progress as a competitor and now, the 17,000-square-foot space will not stay empty for long. Slated to reopen in October as Politan Row, the Ashford Lane location (4500 Olde Perimeter Way) will feature some of the same vendors as the Colony Square location, as well as some new options.
“The mission of our company is to support these entrepreneurs,” Donaldsons says. “Food halls are fertile testing ground for a chef.
This is the first time Politan Row is moving into an existing food hall space rather than designing from scratch. As such, Donaldson says the company is working with most of the infrastructure put in place by the Hall but adding signage and new decor. They’re removing the center walls in the Hall to create clean sight lines for diners to stalls. They’ll build a banquette around the center, similar to that at Colony Square, repaint the ceiling (which is currently painted black), add rugs and sconce lighting, and remove the ornate chandeliers. An enclosed patio will be created near the garage-style doors to create an area for Bar Politan, which will sell drinks to the whole food hall. [MORE]
